Introduction To Theories Of Personality PDF

INTRODUCTION TO THEORIES OF PERSONALITY Prepared by: Gerald M. Llanes, RPm, LPT Introduction The subject Theories of Personality is an explanatory study of various personality theories, their salient features, concepts designs or structures, principle, and explanations of the developme...

INTRODUCTION TO THEORIES OF PERSONALITY Prepared by: Gerald M. Llanes, RPm, LPT Introduction The subject Theories of Personality is an explanatory study of various personality theories, their salient features, concepts designs or structures, principle, and explanations of the development of personality. The theories are categorized into five (5) approaches namely psychoanalytic, behavioral/social learning, humanistic, trait, and the cognitive approach. Definitions of Personality Definitions of Personality Etymologically speaking, the term personality was derived from the Latin word “persona” which means a mask worn by Romans in Greek and Latin drama. This concept is extended to Carl Jung’s component. Persona meaning “public image” or “social mask”. For better understanding , the following definitions of personality are given. Definitions of Personality Personality is defined as consistent behavior patterns originating within the individual ( RUSSELL GEEN ) Personality is the totality of individual qualities which includes temperament, one’s mode of reaction and character. ( ERICH FROMM) Personality is a person’s unique pattern of traits ( GUILFORD ) Definitions of Personality Personality is “what a man really is” ( GORDON ALLPORT) DEFINITION OF A THEORY DEFINITION OF A THEORY The term theory come from the Greek word theoria, which refers to the act of viewing , contemplating, or thinking about something. It is a set of interrelated concepts or principles with some evidences explaining a particular phenomenon. DEFINITION OF A THEORY A theory of personality then, is a set of interrelated concepts with some evidences explaining the development or occurrence of individual uniqueness or characteristics. A theory is narrower than philosophy but broader than hypothesis. What makes a Theory Useful? 1. Generates research 2. Is falsifiable 3. Organizes data 4. Guides action 5. Is internally consistent 6. Is Parsimonious Approaches of Personality Theories Theories of personality cover a wide range, from those providing a broad application to many different behaviors to those limited to certain types of behavior. Each theory possesses some ability to explain a certain aspects of personality, and each explanation is at least somewhat accurate. Approaches of Personality Theories For convenience, the various personality theories covered in this course have been placed into five(5) categories. Each of this categories, or approaches to personality, is distinguished from the others largely by its assumptions and its focus as well as by the methods it uses to assess personality and treat problem behaviors. Approaches of Personality Theories Psychodynamic/ Psychoanalytic approach Approaches of Personality Theories Psychodynamic/ Psychoanalytic approach Approach holds that behaviors are influenced by unconscious processes. According to this approach, we are victims of unconscious sexual and aggressive instincts that constantly influence our behavior. Likewise, this approach assumes that childhood experiences shape our personality later in life Approaches of Personality Theories Anna O. was the first psychoanalytic patient. It was this new technique of talking through the patient's hidden memories that would become the center of Freud's technique. Freud believed that the hidden, or "repressed", memories that lay behind hysterical symptoms were always of a sexual nature. Anna O. Approaches of Personality Theories Approaches of Personality Theories Behavioral/ Social learning approach Approaches of Personality Theories Behavioral/ Social learning approach This approach holds that behaviors are influenced by rewards, punishments, and models by means of imitation. According to this approach, a person's behavioral development is rooted in external forces in one's environment. Approaches of Personality Theories Humanistic approach Approaches of Personality Theories Humanistic approach In this approach, people are assumed to have a great deal of responsibility for their actions. This approach stresses that although we sometimes respond automatically to events in the environment and may at times be motivated by unconscious impulses, we have the power to determine our own destiny and to decide our actions at almost any given moment. We have free will. Likewise, this approach explained that a behavior is in response to the frustration of some basic needs. Approaches of Personality Theories The humanistic approach emphasizes the individual's personal worth, the centrality of human values, and the creative, active nature of human beings. The approach is optimistic and focuses on the noble human capacity to overcome hardship, pain and despair. Approaches of Personality Theories Trait approach Approaches of Personality Theories Trait approach the focus of this approach is to identify types or categories of traits that describe a large number of people and that can be used to predict behavior. It assumes that all people fit into one of the categories that all people within a category are basically alike and that the behavior of people in one category is distinct from that of people in the other categories Approaches of Personality Theories Trait theory in psychology rests on the idea that people differ from one another based on the strength and intensity of basic trait dimensions. There are three criteria that characterize personality traits: (1) consistency, (2) stability, and (3) individual differences. Trait approach explains that a person's personality is determined by characteristics that are consistent and stable over long periods of a person's life. Approaches of Personality Theories Cognitive approach Approaches of Personality Theories Cognitive approach This approach describes differences in personality as differences in the way people process information. When people demonstrate noticeable different patterns of behavior it is the result of differences in the way they perceive the world and in the way they organize and utilize this information. Course Contents a